Johannesburg, 23 Jul 2018
3D printing is making some invaluable contributions to the way things are designed and manufactured. As printing technologies and materials evolve, so too does the way the items are designed, to the extent that traditional manufacturing workflows are being redesigned by manufacturers worldwide, to include additive manufacturing.
An increasingly specialised field, design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) is the next phase in 3D printing. It takes into account the unique capabilities of the different types of 3D printing processes and materials, often resulting in items that are an improvement on the original.
Pauline Bullock, a director of Rapid 3D, says: "People tend to focus on replacing their existing part with a 3D printed part and are often disappointed to find that the 3D printed part is more expensive than the original. They are missing out on the opportunities provided by additive manufacturing."
Not only is 3D printing able to perfectly reproduce items, it's often able to print them better than the original. So, instead of having to assemble several parts to make a whole, you can design one unit that's printed as an assembled item and, if you wish, even improve on the original design.
Bullock explains how this is done: "It's possible to design geometries with 3D printing that you can't manufacture any other way using conventional methods. You start out by defining the mechanics of the problem, then the software will model a shape for you that meets those requirements. From there you can refine and clean up that part and produce it on 3D printer."
So, despite the fact that 3D printing is not necessarily faster or cheaper than conventional manufacturing methods, it does enable a high level of customisation and complexity. It also allows for a level of experimentation that just isn't possible with conventional manufacturing processes.
However, a word of caution is appropriate here: design for additive manufacturing is becoming an increasingly specialised field, and requires a fair degree of knowledge about how the various additive manufacturing processes work, and the properties of the various materials. Bullock elaborates: "People wanting to create an object from scratch are well advised to either consult a 3D printing bureau about which technologies and materials are best suited to their item, or they need to be upskilling themselves on a continual basis to keep pace with the ever-changing possibilities of additive manufacturing."
Three things to remember when designing for additive manufacturing:
1. When designing for 3D printing, you need to determine the type of material that's going to be used (often dictated by the end-use of the item to be printed) and the printing technology (often dictated by the material to be used and the size of the required item).
2. The various 3D printing materials and technologies have their own design limitations, which must be taken into account. This is particularly true when it comes to wall thickness and the angle of overlays.
3. Be cognisant of the fact that certain materials and additive manufacturing technologies are prone to warping, owing to heat used during the manufacturing process, and design accordingly.
Share